Abstract The paper describes how Joseph Conrad, in "Heart of Darkness", presents a well-crafted critique of colonisation, in particular the commercially driven greed that led to the annexation of much of Africa during the latter half of the 19th century. The paper shows how Conrad critically examines the motives for colonisation and compares the rhetoric from Europe with the reality of colonisation in Africa. The paper illustrates how "Heart of Darkness" serves as a universal condemnation of colonisation.
From the Paper "When Heart of Darkness was first published, at the turn of the 20th Century, Europe was well into the scramble for Africa, a race to colonise the African continent that would last up to the beginning of the First World War. Ostensibly set in the Congo Free State, Heart of Darkness documents the journey of Marlowe, the protagonist, as he travels up the Congo River, deep into the jungle, to meet Kurtz, a respected agent of the colony. Marlowe's journey, his interactions with the Europeans, and observations of Africa, form the basis of a well crafted critique of colonisation, in particular the commercially driven greed that led to the annexation of much of Africa during the latter half of the 19th Century. The manner in which Conrad structured Heart of Darkness, with Marlowe as principal narrator, compounds the impact of the narrative, giving it a universal significance. Conrad describes colonisation and its motives, by taking the reader on a journey from London, the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth , to the Inner Station in the heart of the Congo, deep within darkest Africa. European interests: the Company, its agents and Kurtz are the dominant forces in the novel."
Tags: annexation, Europe, rhetoric, Marlowe, Kurtz, Congo, River, trade, expansion
Abstract This paper discusses 'Things Fall Apart' by the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe. It is informed by a sense of history and how it reflects on the process of colonisation. It explores Achebe's motivations behind 'Things Fall Apart' and evaluates the ways in which the novel acts to reclaim Africa's genuine past. It describes the novel's plot and analyzes the use of tragic irony.
From the Paper "The Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe is one of the most prominent figures in post-colonial literature and he actively seeks to reclaim African heritage. Western colonisation of Africa destroyed native religions, languages and forcibly replaced African heritage with the European culture. In this sense, people of post-colonial countries feel they have been denied their true history and seek to rediscover their past. Achebe strongly disagreed with the existing portrayal of his homeland and it is through his novel Things Fall Apart (1958) that Achebe realises his desire to expose the Western view of African history as false and repossess Nigeria's genuine past."
An examination of how the concepts of 'race' and racism have evolved over the last one hundred years with reference to media discourses and popular culture.
Abstract This paper examines the origins of the terms race and racism from the age of the British Empire and colonisation, through Nazi Germany, post war years of immigration to the Notting Hill riots to date. It looks at the role the media has had to play in shaping popular culture and takes examples from the media to demonstrate the points.
From the Paper "In a similar way to the age of imperialism and colonisation which enforced a racial ideology through visual images and the representation of stereotypes, the same applied in Nazi propaganda. As Solomos and Back explain, "What is important in the relation to the morphology of racist ideas is that they intrinsically involve the production of visual culture" (1996: 167) Both the Jews and the 'noble' Arayan characters were represented in Nazi posters and cartoons, which were reproduced within popular culture, through art, film and literature, enhancing differences and the idea that one is better than another."
Abstract This paper explores the impact of the first generation of Aboriginal adults and the introduction of white man's law which appears to exacerbate Aboriginal youth who re-offend. It looks at how Aboriginal communities will continue to experience much higher rates of crime and how new generations will reproduce and intensify Aboriginal resistance to the problems of what was introduced when white settlement commenced. It also shows how the very concept of crime is problematic for Aboriginal people because it has social and historical associations with colonisation.
Outline
Introduction
The Epistemology Impact - Introduction of White Man's Law
Scientific Sociology'
Standpoint Theory
Conclusion
From the Paper "The introduction of the Protectionist Act gave State governments power to control all aspects of Aboriginal people's lives from their behaviour, employment, education, social restrictions and cultural denial.
The Chief Protector was able to move Aboriginal people from town to town, institutionalise them in reserves, and place 'uncontrollable' Aboriginals in jail indefinitely (Cunneen, 1994: 128-158). The result was the removal of Aboriginal people from ancestral lands, the placement of unrelated people in missions and reserves, leading to family, social and cultural disruption."
Abstract This paper examines how successful Indigenous women of Australia have been in using the available law and legislation to claim their right to land. To achieve this, the writer examines the available documents from court cases and government agencies, and references what academics and Indigenous women have to say on the matter. Since invasion, Indigenous women have been trapped in a white, western, masculine, hegemonic system, the reason being, the invading society brought with them western European gender concepts to Australia, and these facts will be discussed. The writer argues that these concepts have changed since colonisation, but that Indigenous women's voices are still silenced in Australia.
From the Paper "There is often a preconception of Indigenous women, that is characterised by the view that men are central actors in society and that their knowledge envelops the social/cultural world, while women are peripheral and acted upon, being the possessors of knowledge that encompasses only a portion of the social/cultural world. The Hindmarsh Island Bridge (Kumarangk) case is a perfect example of this. The Ngarrindjeri women's secret/sacred business was completely dismissed by the western court system. As Scutt points out, "Aboriginal women's business has a longevity going way beyond the existence of anglo-Australian law" . Furthermore, a land claim hearing has the potential to become a lose/lose situation for Indigenous women."
Abstract This paper looks at the differences between the patterns of Spain and Portugal's conquest and colonization of the New World attributed not to intrinsic differences between nations but to coincidental factors and the concerns of the Portuguese with their 'Old World Empire.'
From the Paper "The differing patterns of colonisation and exploitation between the powers of Spain and Portugal can be largely attributed to circumstantial and geographical factors encountered. In order to progress to an analysis of the differences visible in the 16th century, the patterns manifest must be disclosed. Firstly, it must be understood that the colonisation and exploitation of the New World was largely the affair of the Spanish, following the discovery made by Columbus in 1493. Whilst Portugal, as dictated by the Line of Demarcation, laid claim to the coastline of Brazil, it failed to encourage colonisation and conquest to any great extent before the 1530s; thus accounting for the phase 1500-30 being dubbed by McAlister as the ?period of neglect.? This was instigated not by indolence on the part of the Portuguese, but primarily by the fact that their "Old World Empire" called upon the finite quantities of resources and manpower available to a country with a population estimated at little more than one million inhabitants, and secondarily by the difficulties posed by the environmental features of Brazil itself and the circumstances within which Cabral made his discovery. The Spanish therefore dominated the exploration, conquest and colonisation of America during the 16th century, so that by the 1560s the major civilisations of the New World and valuable lands found therein lay beneath an Imperial power. Post 1530, however, the Portuguese sought to exploit the potentials of Brazil more fully - the reasons for their lack of success in contrast to the Spanish encourages a comparative approach in trying to explain the varying patterns of colonisation and exploitation found within the Americas during the 16th century. What will emerge is the hypothesis that there were abundant similarities between the Spanish and Portuguese states which far outweighed the differences - indeed the largest difference appeared to be simply, but importantly, one of size. This places pressure upon the historian to seek an explanation to account for the differing patterns to be seen in the New World in terms of the inter-related processes of exploration, conquest and colonisation. The answer is to be found in the circumstances, conditions, and contexts faced by the Portuguese and the Spanish. In this light extrinsic factors, often not subject to an initial state manipulation, were responsible for the patterns of colonisation and nature of conclusions evident in the Americas."
A discussion on the effects of the great famines in India on disease and mortality rates and the contributions and responsibilities of Britain as a parent country.
Abstract The paper starts with a summary of conditions in pre-colonial India and continues through to the birth of the public health sector in 19th century England. It then discusses the effects of drought on India and the results of the great famines on both agriculture and industry, looking at the responsibility of Britain in terms of preventing disaster via prevention and aid strategies and their ultimate failure in both areas. The spread of disease, in particular cholera is explored and again, Britain's contribution in this area is discussed.
From the Paper "The colonisation of India was, for the British, the proverbial jewel in the crown, a new land of vast resources, unsystematic government and an animal-like people who, at best, were a cheap source of labour. But as the drought of 1876 decimated the population in a famine as cruel as any the Europeans had experienced, it became apparent that the British government would need to take steps to prevent a repeat of the devastating mortality rates produced by such a phenomenon. A certain responsibility to their precious colony would have to be shown."
Abstract This paper discusses the reasons why the Balfour Declaration of 1917 was so important for the political and social developments in Palestine at the time. It discusses the history of the Declaration and the British interest in the area. The paper then shows how the ambiguity of the Declaration marked the beginnings of the Arab-Israeli conflict that still exists today.
From the Paper "The 1917 Balfour Declaration added to the tensions between the Palestinian Arabs and Jews worldwide, thus it can be seen as one of the beginnings of the Arab-Israeli war present in today's society. The ambiguity of the document led to much confusion between Jews as to what portion of Palestine would become theirs, which has been argued to have been part of the British government's aims in order to gain Jewish support for the war whilst being careful to keep peaceful relations with the Palestinian Arabs at the time. The Balfour Declaration was a document based on colonialism, nationalism and imperialism; the colonization of the Palestinian Arab's territory by the Jewish people according to Jewish ideals for a national homeland in Palestine, in order to secure the strategic Suez Canal and control over oil in the region."
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that the Kaurna language is one of the main languages spoken by Indigenous peoples in and around the Adelaide region of Southern Australia. The writer notes that after the colonisation of South Australia in 1836, the population of the Kaurna people declined rapidly as they suffered from the effects of disease and displacement. Subsequently their language and culture experienced serious hardship. The writer looks at the importance of the Kaurna language to its people and by studying the techniques used to awaken the language from its dormancy. The writer points out that the revival of the Kaurna language is still an ongoing process, though much progress has already been made. Kaurna is now taught at all levels of education throughout Southern Australia. The writer concludes that whilst many steps have already been laid out to ensure the survival of Kaurna, it is up to future generations to take them and keep the language alive.
Outline:
Why Revive a 'Dormant' Language?
The Kaurna Language Revival
Resurrecting the Kaurna Phonology
Kaurna for a New Generation
From the Paper "These texts were essentially a written record of the language of the Kaurna people for the English speaking colonists to read. Whilst there was little public interest in the text at its time of publication, even more so when the use of Kaurna was forbidden by government bodies in subsequent years, this publication has become a major tool in the revival of Kaurna for today's generation."
"The reclamation of the Kaurna language began around 1990 with the writing of six songs in a National Aboriginal Languages Program (NALP)
funded songwriters workshop. This was the first time the language had been used again in a creative manner and these songs were subsequently published into a songbook.
"Several workshops on the Kaurna language were held over the following years along with the introduction of Kaurna to some South Australian schools, helping the language to gain recognition once again."
